Winter WonderlaCHOO!
by Daggy-kun
Summary: Winter time in Konoha. A white time of year, not to mention wonderful. Everyone is having a wonderful time. Except maybe for one bed ridden kunoichi.


**A/N:**For the Winter contest, for the ShinoTen Club. I still haven't totally gotten into Shino OR Ten-Ten's heads yet, so I hope this isn't to bad. Hope you guys like it, anyway. x3

**~*&*~**

Winter in Konoha is predictable. The Fire Country's climate doesn't allow temperatures to fall below fifty, even during the coldest times of the year. The Leaf Village shinobi can go years without seeing snow, unless of course they travel farther north, perhaps to the Land of Snow. But, every once in a while, mother nature decides to throw a curve ball at the world. And this year, that curve ball has come racing into Fire Country, turning Konoha into a white winter wonderland. Large snow flakes, the soft fluffy kind that could be molded into the perfect snowman, float silently to the deserted streets. They are only stopped in their progress by four figures enjoying the rather chilly day.

"Yeah! Come on Akamaru, lets go pummel Naruto with some snowballs!"

Well, at least two of them were having a good time.

Shino Aburame, chin buried in the depths of his hood, simply observed as his over active teammates bounded away. Hinata, face flushed, ran after them, in a vain attempt to stop their new plan of assault. Leaving him to watch their retreating backs, though he was, very uncharatisicaly, not paying very close attention.

Ever since the sky had turned gray and the frozen rain had began to fall, he mused, spirits in the village had been over whelmingly high. It was interesting, in an off handed way. Everyone has been forced to wear extra layers, except for he who has always done so. Things were much more difficult, not to mention somewhat dangerous, with the snow clogging their way. It was strange, but put someone like Kiba in a winter jacket, changing his fighting dynamic if only by a fraction, and he still only wants to fool around. Even through all this, the young Aburame couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing, and that insistant nagging was really starting to annoy him. With a breath, Shino came to notice that he was now all alone, his teammates only specks in the distance.

If he kept walking, he'd reach them a few moments into Kiba's 'war against Naruto', at least.

**~*&*~**

"No, NO! I'm fine, really, you don't have to--"

"But I insist! It would be disgraceful and cruel if I didn't help nurse my fallen comrade back to youthful health!"

"Lee, the last time you tried to help ended with my kitchen marked as a disaster zone."

"And that is why I shall go to Ichiraku's and order you, your dinner!"

"Stop, Lee. I can get my own food just fi-ACHOOO!"

"Nonsense! I will be there and back in just ten minutes, and if not, I'll clean your whole home with both hands tied behind my back! Be back soon, my teammate!"

"LEE, WAIT!!"

**~*&*~**

SPLASH. "Bulls-eye!"

"Hey! That was my ramen, Kiba!"

"Yeah? Watcha gonna do 'bout it?"

Naruto, who had been enjoying his fifth bowl of ramen until it was so rudely spilled all over his orange jacket by a well aimed snowball, jumped from his seat and straight for Kiba's throat. They both ended up on the ground, rolling in the street with a barking Akamaru following their every move. They each were snarling, shoving snow down each other's coats. And so was the scene Shino walked onto as he finally caught up to his team, having been in no hurry to begin with. He figured something like this would occur anyway, so why not stay out of the line of fire?

Taking a seat at the booth beside a giggling Hinata, the Aburame observed quietly as always. It had started snowing a tad bit lighter since he had left home this morning, the flakes gliding on the breeze. It was rather peaceful, if you could ignore the yelping of the wrestling imbeciles. Despite the slowing of the precipitation, the temperature felt like it had dropped. Shino shivered lightly in his layers, a reflex he couldn't help. To tell the truth, he and his insects despised winter and its cold slap in the face. It made him sluggish and irritable, something he didn't appreciate.

"Shino-kun? Is something bothering you?" Hinata asked, turning pale violet eyes full of concern for her long time friend. She held her hands in her lap, just barely fidgeting with the edge of her parka, a sure sign she had picked up on the bug master's change in mood.

"No, Hinata. I am fine." Shino lied, his own hands tense in their respective pockets. His voice betrayed nothing, but the Hyuuga Heiress had been around him for years now, and could read his almost non-existant body language rather well. He watched as she hesitated, debating whether or not to press. He tilted his head to the left, down the street, to discourage the question that was right on the tip of her tongue. He wasn't in the explaining mood, especially when he himself hadn't fully come to terms with what was wrong with him. Thankfully, he was saved by a new arrival to the Ichiraku ramen stand.

"Good Morning my friends!" Lee came running down the snow slick road, sliding to a stop in front of an empty seat. He took that seat, smile sparkling as always. Amazingly, he was wearing only his normal spandex suit and flak jacket, and showing no signs that the cold was effecting him. He ordered a bowl of the house special, another odd sight, before turning to the spectacle known as Kiba and Naruto.

"May I ask, why are Kiba-san and Naruto-san currently buried up to their necks in a snow drift?" Lee asked, one large eyebrow raised in question.

"Kiba-kun ruined Naruto-kun's dinner." Hinata answered, another giggle caught in her throat.

"Which resulted in a death match, apparently." Shino continued, in a very convincing deadpan tone of voice.

Lee jumped to his feet at this, striking a very painful looking pose. He stuck a fist in the air, eyes burning. "Well, I shall help them resolve their differences!" He flew out of the entrance to the establishment, following the sounds of carnage that echoed not to far away. A few moments later, he lead a battered looking Inuzuka and Uzumaki, both looking like they had the times of their lives, back to their respective seats.

"Thank you, Lee-san." Hinata smiled shyly, before posing a question of her own. "Excuse me, Lee-san, but isn't it true that you do not eat Ichiraku's very often?"

Lee hesitated, seemingly uncertain. Even Shino was waiting for an explanation, anything to occupy, or distract, him away from the current weather, and the fact he was really starting to over think things, which was an awkward thought when coming from the insect prodigy.

"Yes, that's true. In fact, this ramen is not for me. It is for Ten-Ten, who has fallen ill due to the recent cold spell Konoha has fallen into." Lee explained, waving a bandaged hand out to the street. He, seeing it fit to recite the exact time and place his dear comrade had been bed ridden, failed to notice that his bowl of Mitsu Ramen had been placed on the counter.

And that said bowl had disappeared, replaced with the correct payment. Hinata was the first to notice, followed quickly by Kiba and the rest of the gang upon hearing her gasp. Well, everyone excluding one.

"Hey, does anyone know where the Bug Freak ran off to?"

**~*&*~**

_Sniff._ TEAR. **THUD!**

_'Oh, Lee is so dead when he gets back. He won't be able to walk for two freaking months, and thats only if I feel mercifully.'_

Ten-Ten, with her murderous train of thought unhindered, glared daggers at the ever annoying, and evasive, box of tissues. She had fallen to her _hard_, wood floor in an attempt to grab them without getting out from under the nice warm covers. And now she was blaming her whole perdiciment, sore bottom and all, on her over exuberant teammate.

_'Damn him! Him and Gai-sensei. Stupid dawn practices. Stupid snow. STUPID --'_

"ACHOO!" She sneezed rather violently, making the room spin. With a groan, the weapon's specialist leaned her stuffy head back against her bed, rubbing at her aching sinus'. Having a cold, let alone one that made her feel like she would keel over at any second, sucked. She sat for a few more minutes on the cold floor, just long enough to make her dresser stop doing three-sixties, before crawling painfully back up and under the blankets. She then promptly curled into a tight little ball, wishing she could stop shivering long enough to fall asleep.

Knock. Knock. _'Great, just great...'_

"LEE! You take one step into my apartment, so help me I'll castrate you with a rusty kunai!"

"That does sound awfully unpleasant." was the reply, and was it just her clogged sinus' playing tricks on her, or had Lee's voice gotten deeper? Wait a second, Lee wouldn't have knocked, he would have just opened the door, or worse broken it clean off its hinges... That voice did sound familiar though, but who was --

"Shino?!" Ten-Ten yelled, sitting straight upright. Which was an action she imeddiately regretted when her head felt like one of her bombs had just exploded behind her eyes. She flopped back down into her nest of pillows, groaning and throwing an arm over her face. She listened as her front door opened, than shut, followed closely by barely noticeable footsteps. She peeked out from under her limb just long enough to see a shock of green enter her kitchen. And when that giant green blob turned on the microwave, she couldn't help but be curious.

"What? Your microwave's not good enough for lunch?" She chuckled, which effectively triggered a coughing fit. After a few moments, she managed to calm down, seeing that the 'green blob' was now standing in her bedroom door way.

"No. I don't own a microwave to begin with. Why? I have no need for one." Shino commented, leaning against the frame of her door, looking very relaxed. In truth, every muscle in his body was on edge, something that could mean that the ever calm Aburame was nervous beyond all measure. A fact he himself, surprisingly, wouldn't have been able to explain at that exact moment in time.

Ten-Ten sat up, very slowly to keep from getting dizzy again, staring at her companion in confusion. If he had no need for one, why was he using hers? She scratched the back of her head, one eye closed, her fuzzy mind working double time to try and understand it.

"I brought the ramen Rock Lee was fetching for you." Shino saved her poor overheating brain, moving back into the kitchen as the microwave began to drone. Ten-Ten stared after him, with her head tilted cutely to the left. Shino Aburame, the most solitary guy she knew, was willingly bringing her lunch. It didn't make sense, any way she looked at it.

_'Damn. The weirdest crap always seems to follow me around.'_She thought, just as he walked back into the room, carrying a steaming bowl of ramen and a pair of chop sticks. He placed it on her bed side table, laying the unopened utensils atop the bowl. He then turned on his heel and headed for the door, without a single word.

"Why?" Ten-Ten whispered, now holding the bowl in both her hands, warming them. That one word stopped Shino in his tracks, but he refused to turn around. From the way his hood stood lower than it should, the weapon's expert could tell he was ducking his head further into his coat.

"Why?" She repeated herself, a little louder this time. She clenched the bowl in her lap as another coughing fit over took her, shaking her entire body. When she recovered, trying to breath normally again, she was shocked to see Shino by her side, a hand on her back.

"I do not know. Perhaps," he muttered, pausing in an attempt to find the correct words. "Perhaps it was because I wanted to help you recover."

"But why?" Ten-Ten asked again, uncomprehending. She stared into her soup, wondering if the butterflies in her stomach were from being sicked, or if the guy beside her were to blame. He certainly would be the one to cause this fluttering feeling she had.

"I... feel close to you Ten-Ten. You have been so adamant in beating me, as of late." Shino answered, his hand never moving from its spot between her shoulder blades. It seemed he was unwilling to back away, now that he was this close. "I consider you my friend."

Ten-Ten smiled, seeing flashes of the sparring matches they had participated in before her minds eye. She had approached him a few months ago to request a match, since she saw the ever stoic insect tamer as a challenge she could beat. They had fought countless times, each winning some and losing some. And yet, she couldn't remember ever being disappointed. Truth be told, they had gotten rather close, maybe enough to be considered good friends. But, if she really was going to be honest with herself, that grin on her face was because she couldn't think of a single person she would rather have by her side.

"Oh yeah? Well than, I bet we've gone past the 'friend' stage, Shino."

Ten-Ten laughed as she looked up, catching the small smile and faint pink blush on his face behind his collar.


End file.
